Senator launches investigation into Virginia students' coerced abortions

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy is demanding answers regarding allegations against a Virginia school district regarding the coerced abortions of two teenage students.

Key Takeaways:

• Senator Bill Cassidy sent a letter to Fairfax County Superintendent Michelle Reid demanding answers to questions regarding allegations that a school social worker and principal forced one student to have an abortion and attempted to force another.

• The alleged abortion and attempted abortion took place in 2021.

• One student, who was five months pregnant, fled the abortion business after being told she "had no other choice" than to have an abortion against her will.

• The girls' parents were not informed of the abortions, in violation of Virginia state law.

• The school is alleged to have used taxpayer dollars to illegally pay for the abortions.

The Details:

On September 22, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, demanded answers from Fairfax County's Centreville High School, which has allegedly coerced students into abortions. One of the students ran from the abortion facility and escaped the abortion. Cassidy said taxpayer dollars may have been used to pay for abortions, which he called "a clear violation of federal law."

"I am writing to request information regarding the stunning allegations that school officials at Fairfax County's Centreville High School arranged and paid for abortions for a minor student and attempted to do the same for another student, all without parental consent," wrote Cassidy in a letter to Fairfax County Superintendent Michelle Reid. "... If these reports are true, they represent a betrayal of Fairfax County parents and families and warrant comprehensive oversight by the HELP Committee to determine how this could have occurred and who must be held accountable."

He added, “Let there be no mistake: a school official pressuring minor students to obtain covert abortions using school funding is illegal, and, if proven, requires concrete action by your school board to hold the perpetrators accountable."

The Backstory:

The allegations stem from incidents that took place in 2021. In May 2025, despite claiming to have only just "learned" of the forced-abortion allegations against the school staff, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) allegedly knew about the situation months prior.

According to reports, staff at the school took two girls for abortions without informing the parents, a direct violation of Virginia’s parental notification law. Both students were minors at the time, and they said the school principal, Chad Lehman, knew about the abortions and financed them with school funds. One of the students was five months pregnant and begged to keep her baby. She fled the abortion business after school social worker Carolina Diaz, who scheduled and paid for the abortion, told her that she "had no other choice" but to undergo the abortion.

The girl later told her teacher, Zenaida Perez, about the incident. Perez said that school administrators tried to keep her quiet and force her resignation.

In August, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin ordered the Virginia State Police to investigate the allegations.